


achilles

by tagteamme



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - Royalty, M/M, Magic, Mentions of other characters - Freeform, Mild Gore, Victor spelled Victor because I got tired of fighting spellcheck, characters endure physical pain, chris is there too, everyone's kind of lame but also kind of badass, mild violence, yuri² have an adventure, yuuri and yuri have a bond and yuri does not like it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-01
Updated: 2017-05-01
Packaged: 2018-10-26 04:51:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10779945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tagteamme/pseuds/tagteamme
Summary: Yuri loses Victor, and needs Yuuri's help in finding him.Yuuri leapt out of his bed, grabbing his sword. He grabbed his rotting wooden shield, heaving it up in front of him. He may not be under the threat of death, but he definitely had the threat of injury over his head. Slowly, he made his way across the straw and dirt in defensive posture.There was a giant, scorching hole in the door of his shack. An exponentially angry and short blond boy glared at him through the hole. Small embers flew from the wood, burning out before they hit the ground. A small grace, Yuuri thought, because Yuri Plisetsky would not think twice before burning down Yuuri's temporary home.





	achilles

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thenumber2pencil](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thenumber2pencil/gifts).



> Please refer to the end for visual references!
> 
> Edit: fixed some typos and some tenses.

There was a sharp knock at his door.

Yuuri scrunched his eyes shut.

_No one knocking at the door in this time of the night has anything good to say._

The knocking grew louder.

His sword glinted in the moonlight, propped up against an old wooden barrel. It hadn't been sharpened in a while but Yuuri figured he could still make an easy go of defending himself with it.

_BANG BANG BANG_

It looked like something he would have to do. Yuuri shifted in his bed, tense and ready to leap out at a moment's notice.

_BANGBANGBANG_

"I know you're in there!" A voice roared. The voice was very, very familiar and if he was correct, he had no energy to talk with it's owner.

"Katsuki!" The voice yelled again and Yuuri groaned, rolling over in his bed. Away from the door. He was completely sure of who was knocking and demanding his presence. He would not leave Yuuri alone for the entire night, but he was a safe enough person that Yuuri could attempt sleeping through the commotion.

The loud banging continued on for a few more moments before there was complete silence. Yuuri closed his eyes, pressing his face further into his itchy straw mattress.

When he had a hard time falling asleep, his mind always wandered to his parents. Somehow, they had not been completely disgraced by the entire debacle that had taken place.

The full scope of what had happened had probably not reached them, but he knew that when he could eventually bring himself to return to their step, they would welcome him with comfort and open arms. Fondly, he thought about his mother wrapping him up in a warm hug, holding him till he could forget everything that had happened. She would make him his favourite dish, and his father would stoke the fire while he recounted a story from the day in as an over-exaggerated way possible.

He was so deep in the thought that he could feel the warmth of the fire. He could smell the freshly cooked pork and the glass of homemade wine his mother would pour. He could hear the crackle as his father would throw wood into the fire, could hear the burning wood, gently curling around his nose as if he was almost-

Yuuri leapt out of his bed, grabbing his sword. He grabbed his rotting wooden shield, heaving it up in front of him. He may not be under the threat of death, but he definitely had the threat of injury over his head. Slowly, he made his way across the straw and dirt in defensive posture.

There was a giant, scorching hole in the door of his shack. An exponentially angry and short blond boy glared at him through the hole. Small embers flew from the wood, burning out before they hit the ground. A small grace, Yuuri thought, because Yuri Plisetsky would not think twice before burning down Yuuri's temporary home.

"You need to help me," Yuri said briskly and Yuuri lowered his shield.

"This is a very strange way of asking for it," he replied, and Yuri's eyebrows pinched together.

"You must have misunderstood. I am not asking," Yuri said through gritted teeth, tone forcedly polite but dripping with anger. "I am telling you."

Yuuri stared at Yuri, and Yuri held his gaze with narrowed eyes. Normally, this would have been the point where Yuri would have taken Yuuri's silence as permission to barge in. But Yuri was standing, stone faced and waiting.

"What happened?" Yuuri asked kindly, and Yuri huffed.

"Let me in and I'll tell you," he replied and Yuuri shook his head.

"Tell me, and then I'll let you in."

Yuri looked like he was on the verge of an insult, but something flickered across his face, softening it the most minuscule amount. Yuuri's door was still smouldering, but it was controlled.

"It's Victor," Yuri said quietly. "I need help for Victor. He's gone missing."

Yuuri's heart sank. It had been weeks since he had spoken to Victor, but he had slowly been working up the courage to tell Victor that he was going home. Yuuri felt like an ass, rejecting the olive branch that Victor had extended him, but he could not in good faith take up a high position in a castle after going through the humiliation that he had. It would only be a matter of time before he would let Victor down as well, and the pain of that would completely destroy Yuuri.

But Victor had gone missing. His shield hit the ground and his sword hung limply by his side as he opened the door for Yuri.

Yuri walked in, eyes on Yuuri's shield before stepping over it. He sniffed the air, before scrunching his nose and making a slight gagging noise. Yuuri scratched the back of his head sheepishly as he led him to the rickety wooden table in the corner of his home.

Yuri took the one of the two chairs, and Yuuri placed a candle in the centre. Yuri glared at the candle, eyes flashing red momentarily as the wick lit up.

"This place is horrible," Yuri commented as Yuuri took a seat across from him. "Fitting for you though because-"

"Pigs live in pig stys," Yuuri sighed, rubbing at his eyes. "You've told me that one already."

A moment of silence stretched over them, uncomfortable, before Yuri started speaking.

"I was out with Victor, hunting in the forest north of the castle. We were deep in the woods when he...when he got enchanted."

"Enchanted?" Yuuri frowned and Yuri nodded.

"Yes, enchanted. Something lured him away from me. We were behind some bushes, stalking a deer. Out of nowhere, he jumped up and started following a... a creature. I managed to follow him into a clearing near the river but then..."

Yuri trailed off, staring at the table. His eyebrows furrowed deeper, and his frown grew tense.

"Whatever enchanted him probably sensed me. Probably sensed what I am. I tried to set the grass on the other side on fire, tried to set it on fire to get his attention, so that he couldn't cross. But in that moment, I felt incredibly _human_. I had no power and I froze."

Yuri's fist was now clenched, small sparks shooting from his hand. Yuuri eyed the table nervously, heart already beating rapidly. If Yuri had come to him, the ending to the story was obvious.

"You lost him." Yuuri said quietly, and Yuri huffed.

"It took me a lot longer to cross the river than it did for him. By the time I made it to the other side, he was lost into the woods."

"When was this?"

"Two days ago," Yuri replied. "The court thinks that we're still on a hunting trip. You need to help me find Victor before he suspects anything. I really, really don't want to get into trouble."

Yuuri wanted to help. He wanted to help find Victor, and bring Victor back. But he had nothing. His blade was dull, and his shield was a badly cut piece of rotting wood. He had no armour, no money, and no honour. A squire could provide more for Yuri than he could.

Before Yuuri could voice any of this, Yuri continued speaking.

"I need you to come with me. You know how he thinks the best out of anyone."

"I really don't think that's true," Yuuri replied and Yuri scoffed and leaned forward.

"There's only one person who's as stupid as Victor. And that's you." Yuri said, but under the heat of his comments, there was a tinge of worry. "Birds of a feather, and all that. You should be able to trace his footsteps perfectly."

"I have nothing though." Yuuri said, and Yuri reclined, a cat-like grin spreading across his face.

 

* * *

 

According to Yuri, it had taken him a lot longer to get out of the forest than it had for him and Victor to go in. When he found their horses, he had gone straight to Yuuri's home, a peasant hut Yuuri had temporarily appropriated on the outskirts of the fortified city.

Yuri made Yuuri pack a change of clothes and a canteen, along with some cured meat and bread. Yuuri made to pick up his shield, but it burst into flames. He yelped and jumped away as the fire shot up to the roof of the hut, before suddenly shrinking and vanishing at fast as it had come.

"Bring your sword," Yuri said without acknowledging the shield. "Do you have any armour?"

"I have nothing," Yuuri reiterated. "And my sword is dull."

"Bring it anyways," Yuri said. "We have a stop to make anyways. Do you have any medicine with you?"

Yuuri shook his head, as he tucked a small dagger into his boot. He did not have much in the way of weapons, and he was still unsure about how he could help Yuri aside from being fodder for bandits and whatever had trapped Victor. He was actually sure that that was all Yuri wanted him for in the first place.

Yuri had led both his and Victor's horses to Yuuri's house. It was well known that Victor was extremely protective over his palfrey, a gorgeous chestnut mare with a steady temperament under Victor's hand. Yuri had ridden her once, and she threw him off promptly, but nuzzled against him immediately after as Victor had stood by, laughing.

That moment kept replaying his head as Yuuri slotted his foot in the stirrup and heaved himself upwards. She nickered and huffed, but stayed relatively calm. Yuuri let himself relax, because he knew that if she sensed his fear, he would be eating dirt and Yuri would probably set him on fire.

The moon shone high as they rode out onto one of the dirt roads leading away from the castle. Yuuri could feel the heavy weight of Yuri's worry in his silence- on a normal day, Yuri was not able to go more than a few minutes without making some sort of derogatory comment towards Yuuri. At times, it comforted Yuuri, because so many others had been treading on eggshells around him. It was good to not have someone treat him like he was going to fall apart and then fall on his sword.

Behind them, the Nikiforov castle loomed large in the distance, extremely dark and foreboding in the night.

Before Yuuri had seen the city, he had always been under the impression that faeries had lived in bright castles with gleaming white exteriors and colourful turrets. While the Nikiforov castle was lavish on the inside, the exterior had a powerful and intimidating character. Yuuri had felt fear many times in his life, but he was thankful that he never had to ride in as an enemy to the Nikiforov castle.

An hour later, they had put a considerable distance between them and the castle. They were approaching a stone home that Yuuri immediately recognized as belonging to the Altin blacksmiths. Yuri led them around to the back, where there was a small wooden door. They dismounted and tied their horses against a post, unhooking their packs.

Yuri knocked sharply on the wooden door to no avail. He knocked again, sighed, then held off for a few moments before knocking again.

"You're not going to set this one on fire too?" Yuuri asked mildly.

"I'm going to set _you_ on fire," Yuri grumbled, This time, he started knocking continuously as he called out, "Altin! I know you're there!"

Finally, the door creaked open slightly. An eye peeked through, before the door swung out fully.

"Yuri," Otabek Altin nodded, before turning his sights on Yuuri. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Let us in," Yuri said in the same brisk tone he had used earlier, and Otabek stepped aside to let them enter. Yuuri felt uneasy walking in, and he felt Otabek's eyes bore a hole into the back of his head.

Otabek was the oldest son of the Altin family, and a prodigy in both blacksmithing and swordsmanship. Yuuri knew that he was close with Yuri, who sometimes would create large and sweltering fires for Otabek to forge powerful swords. If word got out that a blacksmith was using the services of a royal fire demon, the Altin family could live comfortably for generations to come.

As it was, Otabek preferred quietness, and seemed to be fine living a simpler life. His own family did not know about Yuri, and the two of them intended to keep it that way. Or so Yuri said, when Yuuri questioned the secrecy.

"Katsuki needs his blade sharpened," Yuri said, unsheathing Yuuri's sword for him. Yuuri yelped and the boy rolled his eyes as he held the blade towards Otabek.

Otabek held it up under a lamp, squinting at the steel.

"Does Chulanont know that you've let his favourite sword get so dull?" Otabek said monotonously, causing Yuuri to cringe.

There were a lot of things Phichit was unaware of. The sword was one of them. Yuuri's decision to not use it again, another.

"We need armour for him too," Yuri said, sitting down upon a barrel. "And a shield."

"So it's true," Otabek murmurs. "You did give up your shield."

Yuuri stared at the ground, silent under Otabek's piercing gaze. He felt familiar nausea creeping up through him, his stomach twisting and his heart clenching. He closed his fists, gripping them and waiting for whatever comment Otabek had to make.

"And now he needs a new one," Yuri said."Preferably a large one, because he makes a lot of bad decisions."

"You know where to go," Otabek replied, walking away with Yuuri's sword towards the sharpening stone. Yuuri took a seat on an empty barrel adjacent to Yuri, and they sat without speaking.

"Are you tired?" Yuri asked eventually, and Yuuri shook his head. "Are you sure? If you fall asleep while we are searching for Victor, I will leave you in the middle of the woods"

"Again," Yuuri said. "I do not think I am the best choice."

Yuri's eyes glinted, before they narrowed. He shot up off the barrel and grabbed Yuuri by the arm, dragging him to a smaller, dark room. With a flick of his fingers, a small ball of fire emerged, hovering towards the centre of the room. The illumination revealed rows and rows of shields, varying in shapes and sizes. While Otabek specialized in swords, Yuuri knew his father built shields that were known for both their beauty and their power. Victor had gotten both his ceremonial and his battle shield from the older Altin, and spoke of them with reverence. Yuuri gazed around the room, a small, long lost sense of wonder filling him.

In the centre of the room stood a round battle shield, emblazoned with the Nikiforov crest. However, instead of the purple and gold that Victor's shield had, this shield was painted a rich deep blue. The two roaring lions were painted black, as were the iron clamps that created the outer ring. The flowers in the centre were painted gold.

Yuri tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for it to dawn on Yuuri that it was _his_ colours, the Katsuki colours on the shield.

"Oh," Yuuri said softly, stepping towards the shield. "Oh."

"He got Otabek's father to build this for you because he was sure that you would join him in the castle," Yuri said tersely. "And this was _after_ you ran away to the hovel I found you in."

Yuuri felt guilt creep up his throat, causing it to seize. He reached out to touch the shield. The shield that he did not deserve, the shield that was eons better than the one he had forfeited, the shield that Victor had gotten _made_ for him, having known him for less than a year.

"Pick it up," Yuri said from behind him, causing Yuuri to startle. "And for now, forget what happened in the past. Victor clearly did."

The shield was lightweight, and slid perfectly onto Yuuri's arm. He swung it around a little, finding that it moved perfectly with the weight of the rest of his body.

"Where are we going to start?" Yuuri asked in lieu of any comment and Yuri shrugged.

"Where I last saw him," Yuri replied, and the ball of fire went out.

 

* * *

 

Yuuri and Yuri stayed overnight at Otabek's home. Yuri insisted that he did it so that Yuuri would not faint at a crucial moment. At the break of dawn, Otabek placed the sharpened sword in Yuuri's hands for inspection, looking on expectantly as Yuuri held it up to a lamp. It glimmered, looking as beautiful as the day Phichit had presented it to him.

Otabek had been generous with what he provided Yuuri. He gave him a shirt of chain mail, a pauldron, and after some heavily whispered discussions with Yuri, he gave him gauntlets as well. They were old and slightly worn, but in good condition. Given that Otabek refused any form of payment, Yuuri appreciated what he had gotten.

"You still haven't told me what this is for," Otabek told Yuri as he helped them saddle up their horses.

"Victor is missing," Yuri said, strapping a canteen near his stirrups. "In the northern forest."

Otabek fumbled from where he's tightening the girth on Yuri's horse.

"The king?" He hissed, eyes narrowing and his face finally showing some form of expression. "King Nikiforov is _missing_?"

Yuri leaned down and whispered something into Otabek's ear that Yuuri could not hear, even if he strained. Otabek's eyebrows shot up as he leaned in to Yuri, whispering back furiously. Yuri just looked at him, and shook his head as he stuck his boot in the stirrup and swung up onto his horse.

Otabek's face shifted to something unreadable, but he accepted Yuri's hand, gripping it as Yuri patted his shoulder. He moved away from him and towards Yuuri, who had mounted his horse already.

"Katsuki," Otabek's voice had regained his monotony as he double checked the straps holding everything to Yuuri's saddle. "For what it's worth, I think Nikiforov has been right in the judgement of your character."

"I'm not sure if that's your place to say," Yuuri replied, and Otabek let out a short laugh.

"I'm not saying this because I like you," He said easily. "I'm saying this because whatever disgrace you feel is undeserved. No one can protect an entire village on his own."

A sharp pang echoed across Yuuri's heart, and he looked away from Otabek. Yuri was staring at them, assessing the conversation with a stony face.

"I don't need any pity," Yuri murmured and Otabek hummed.

"No you don't," Otabek said. "But when you set out to rescue your king, you _do_ need to remember that there is a reason he chose you to join his personal guard. He holds his knights to a high standard, and if he felt that you were deserving of whatever you are putting yourself through, he would not have glanced twice at you."

Otabek patted the neck of Victor's horse, and stepped back.

"That's the most I've ever heard you speak," Yuri called out and Otabek gave a short smile.

Yuri and Yuuri rode side by side out into the crisp morning air, silence once again hanging above them. Given that Yuri normally could not go more than ten steps without hurling insults at Yuuri, it was unusual and uncomfortable journey. Yuuri could feel the weight of Yuri's worries through his lack of communication.

Yuuri himself was scared to speak. He felt that if he started talking, the conversation would eventually go towards Victor. The emotions he had swirling around him and the guilt that sat on top of it all would come spilling out and he would end up revealing more to Yuri then he was comfortable with.

This was the most amount of time they had spent in each other's presence, without Victor as their mediator. A year before Yuuri, Yuri arrived from Yakov Feltsman's household. To learn some manners, Victor had explained with a wink.

In reality, Yuri had come to Victor's castle to learn how to control the powers that had emerged on the eve of his sixteenth birthday. Feltsman knew that Yuri was a demon from the day his mother had brought him to his step, the secret child of one of the recently slain knights in his court. The mother herself was a once powerful fire demon who was then on the verge of death. Yakov took both of them under his wing, nursing her back to health and him into a strong young man. Since he was a child, Victor had explained, people could feel the hunger and power that surrounded Yuri.

It was one of the reasons Feltsman had raised Yuri under his family and legitimized him under his father's name. He knew that eventually Yuri would need the instruction of someone who was more than just a human king, and sent him to learn control under Victor.

Since Yuri met Yuuri, he had constantly been antagonizing him. When the three of them were together on the training field, Victor would spend most of their time scolding Yuri. Victor was the last one to talk, given that he too delivered expertly crafted insults to whomever he deemed deserving. His were just disguised under the maturity and power that one afforded a king. Yuri would completely ignore him and continue to swing his words at Yuuri harder than he would swing his blade.

Yuuri held no actual ill will towards Yuri, because he too remembered having hot headed outbursts when he was that young. At times, they suited each other on the training field, Yuuri showing Yuri how to approach situations with more calm, and Yuri forcing out some of Yuuri's own repressed anger.

Victor would watch on, smile knowing as they would thrust and parry across the grass. He had insisted that Yuri learn combat, because magic could not support them all the time. Yuri had been belligerent and loudly protested this.

Yuuri came across a memory; Victor challenging Yuri to a friendly fight. Victor suppressing Yuri's powers moments into the fight, Yuri spluttering. Victor offering Yuri a sword, Yuri grabbing it begrudgingly. Less than five minutes before Victor had Yuri pinned to the ground under his boot, sword gently pressed against the younger man's throat. Victor reminding him with a wide grin that while Yuri was a demon and Victor was a faerie, Victor was a king for a reason.

Two days later, Victor making Yuuri submit in a similar manner on the grass. Victor looking down at Yuuri from the top of his sword, his smile twisted into something more—

Yuuri felt his ears turn red and he coughed, an action that Yuri did not miss.

"What?" He barked, voice croaking from lack of use.

"Nothing," Yuuri muttered, ducking his head.

"Are you thinking about Victor?" Yuri demanded, and the red creeped into Yuuri's cheeks. Yuri made a gagging sound. "That's so disgusting. Stop that."

"I don't have to listen to you," Yuuri retorted and Yuri trotted ahead of him.

It took them the full day to make it into the outer circle of the northern woods. Yuri and Yuuri set up camp in a small clearing, Yuri sparking a fire while Yuuri laid out a few rations for ate their bread in silence, Yuri staring into the fire, causing it to jump occasionally.

"Hey, Katsuki," Yuri said finally. "Watch this."

The sparks from the fire rose up to create a rude gesture, and Yuuri choked on his bread.

"Plisetsky," he said, making the same rude gesture back with his hands. "Watch this."

Yuri let out a laugh and Yuuri smiled.

"I haven't seen you smile," He said, and Yuri's expression immediately changed back to its default one of anger. "Let alone heard you laugh. It's very strange."

"It's a fucking gift," Yuri grumbled. "If you tell anyone, I'll kill you."

"There's not going to be anyone for me to tell," Yuuri said without thinking, and Yuri fully turned on him.

"So you _are_ actually going to leave the castle?" He said, voice sharp.

"I've already left the castle," Yuuri pointed out and Yuri reaches over to smack the back of his head. "Ow! What?!"

"You stay on the outskirts of the castle like a pining, annoying lover," Yuri said, taking a bite out of the cured deer meat. "You aren't fooling anyone by living in a hovel. If you actually wanted to leave, you would have been long gone by now."

"You're acting like it's an easy decision," Yuuri said simply and Yuri shrugged.

"Isn't it?"

Yuri sighed and leaned back against the fallen tree trunk he had propped himself up on.

"I'm not as decisive as you and Victor," He said. "These things take time for me. But it wouldn't be right to stay."

" _Wouldn't be right to stay_ ," Yuri mocked in a high pitched voice before returning to his normal tone. "As much as it disgusts me to give you a compliment, what part about an expert swordsman joining the personal guard upon the request of a powerful kind seems _not right_?"

"Victor doesn't understand," Yuuri said and Yuri let out a loud groan.

"No one understands, Yuri," He said. "You are an idiot, and I'm not quite sure which miracle worker managed to train you in your art. But you're taking the blame for something that wasn't your fault, and you're letting it swallow you whole."

The mention of the memory gutted Yuuri. He tightened his fists as Yuri pressed on.

"Victor would not ask just anyone to join his guard. He wouldn't bring just anyone to his castle either. His form of reward for average strangers is dropping a bag of gold coins onto someone's lap and telling them to live a good life."

"He didn't know before he asked-"

"And when he found out, he still wanted you. I know you like to exist in your own bubble Katsuki, but please take note of how the shield you're holding beside you has the Nikiforov crest and _your_ colours."

Victor had not reacted the way Yuuri had expected when he found out why Yuuri had given up his shield. It had been a hard story to retell, but Yuuri knew it was one Victor needed to hear after he initially offered Yuuri a position.

Victor had listen with intense focus as Yuuri recounted a village he had been sent out to guard on his own. His self esteem swung like a pendulum, and at that time it had been at a dangerous high. A small group of mercenaries had approached the village, and Yuuri had been confident enough in his skill against the four men to not send a messenger out for reinforcement.

They overpowered him quickly, and coerced him into giving up his shield in exchange for them not slaughtering the entire village. They sent him back to Lord Cialdini, bruised and battered and branded on his back with a hot iron as a lesson and a reminder that they had conquered a village in what had turned out to be crucial battle territory.

Yuuri had left Celestino's court on his own accord, unable to face the humiliation brought on by his ego.

When Yuuri recounted the story at a tavern or a gathering, people would grimace as they understood the full weight of his actions and what could have happened. They would either then offer him empty comfort, or move away, scared by his past experience with irrationality.

Victor had simply pressed a finger across his own lips as Yuuri recounted the story.

"It was in the past," Victor had said after a long pause. "My offer still stands. You have a place here, with me."

That had scared Yuuri. In the time he had gotten to know Victor, he had gotten to know not a magical being, not a king, but a man whose personality was larger than life. Behind the air headed and easy going exterior, there existed a person who was as sharp and calculating as he was kind and generous. The tenderness, the niceties, the affection that Victor showed him could all go away the moment Yuuri slipped up again.

He had never been able to define the relationship that they had developed, whether they were knight and liege, friends, or whatever else existed on the spectrum. But Yuuri knew that if he ever disappointed Victor Nikiforov, the disappointment that would follow would crush his entire being and cause him to wither into dust.

A fortnight after, Yuuri had surrendered the temporary shield that Victor had provided him upon arrival at the Nikiforov castle. Victor took it without a word, expression hurt. Yuuri had not been able to look him in the eyes. In the night, he had slipped away, past the castle gates and in to one of the abandoned peasant huts that lined the outside of the fortified city.

He had planned to go back— not to Lord Cialdini, but back to the tavern that his parents ran. He had accepted his fate, had accepted the fact that he would have to live out the rest of his life as an innkeeper alongside his sister.

Building courage for that had been a whole different matter. As much as Yuuri was convinced leaving was the right thing to do, he was unable to bring himself to do so. He was trapped in between the magnetic forces his parents home with its humility, and the Nikiforov castle with a promise of a better life that could come crumbling down if Yuuri misstepped again.

"I'll take the first watch," Yuuri murmured, and Yuri snorted.

"That's all you have to say?" Yuri shook his head. Yuri closed his eyes, effectively blocking out any more conversation. "I'm not surprised."

 

* * *

 

 

When Yuuri woke up, he was faced with an alarming sight. Yuri had his hands wrapped around the throat of Christophe Giacometti, who was gaining widely despite rapidly turning an alarming shade of red.

"Let go of him!" Yuuri demanded, leaping forward to break them up. He managed to pry Yuri's hand off from around the mage's neck, and Christophe let out a few sharp gasps Yuri struggled to escape Yuuri's grasp.

"Let go of me!" Yuri yelled, and Yuuri kept his grip on Yuri's wrists firm. "He's being annoying"

" _He's_ trying to help," Christophe replied, tone genial. "I heard about what happened with Victor."

"I told Otabek to keep it a secret!" Yuri said heatedly, and Christophe laughed.

"Darling, nothing with you and Otabek will ever be a secret to anyone," He replied and Yuuri had to physically stop Yuri from pouncing on Chris.

"Stop being nasty!" Yuri roared and Christophe laughed louder.

When they had all calmed down, Yuri no longer violent and Christophe no longer taunting, it turned out that Christophe was there for the same reasons they were. He had heard through Otabek that Victor had gone missing, and had decided to accompany Yuri and Yuuri from a distance.

Reluctantly, Yuri had allowed Christophe to join them after Yuuri constantly reminded him that having two magical beings probably gave them better odds against anything that was able to kidnap a king whose very essence was magic. Yuuri had to remind himself of this as the two continuously bickered, Yuri throwing insults and Christophe throwing one suggestive comment after another.

Yuuri was thankful that Christophe had brought his own horse. Carrying most of the food, Yuuri had no space on his own saddle and he did not want to imagine what Yuri would do if he had to share his horse with Christophe.

The river did prove difficult to cross, taking three times longer than a river of its width normally would have. The air shifted, and Christophe and Yuri had a constant look of unease threatening to come out from under their regular expressions. By nightfall, Yuri and Christophe made their first simultaneous agreement of the night. They needed a few hours of rest if they were to face whatever had taken Victor. Yuuri was nervous about losing time, but Christophe squeezed his shoulder.

"I would have known if Victor was dead by now," Christophe said. "I would know if it happened to any of you."

It gave Yuuri a slight amount of assurance, but he still could not imagine sleep coming easy to him. 

They set up camp in a more wooded area, not wanting to draw attention to themselves. There was no fire this time, and they did not tie their horses. The three of them had agreed that if they had to make a quick escape, they did not want to fumble around with ropes. 

"There have been rumours about others going missing past this river," Christophe told them as they broke bread. "Mostly magical folk. Something about this area draws them out and drains their power."

"How does that happen?" Yuuri asked, dread pooling in his stomach. If Victor got enchanted, if he got drained away and he was _powerless_ , he was in more danger than he had previously anticipated. Victor was an expert with weapons and an expert in combat, but he lacked understanding of what it meant to be a mere mortal.

Yuri, and Christophe to an extent, lacked it as well.

"Things that drain your power can often take many forms," Christophe explained. "They can be as complex as a lover, and as simple as a butterfly."

Yuri choked on his bread, face blanching.

"That's what Victor followed!" He said frantically, waving a hand. "He followed a butterfly!"

He was met with pin drop silence. Christophe and Yuuri both stared at Yuri.

"He..followed a butterfly?" Christophe said slowly, and Yuri let out a triumphant noise.

"Ha! Otabek doesn't tell you everything!" He exclaimed, but Christophe waved for him to get to the point.

"That's why it took me a moment too long to realize something was wrong, and that's why I was too late. I thought it was just him being his regular, stupid self."

"Are you sure?" Yuuri said, and Yuri scoffed.

"He picked you up from a tavern and brought you to his castle," Yuri said. "He's definitely the type to be distracted."

"By beautiful things," Christophe added with a wink, and Yuri threw his bread at him. Christophe wriggled his finger, causing the bread to hover midair for a moment before it flew back towards Yuri, thunking him in the forehead. Yuuri was too busy trying not to drown in embarrassment to prevent Yuri from throwing his fists at Christophe.

His and Viktor's meeting had been quite interesting, to say the least.

After the disaster in the village, Yuuri had aimlessly wandered around, talented enough to defend himself against robbers, but not motivated enough to figure out where to go.

He had ended up at a run down tavern in an even more run down village. He spent his last coin on glass after glass of dirty mead. By the time someone had wronged someone else in a game of cards, Yuuri was tipsy. By the time that someone else decided to settle matters in a more violent way, Yuuri was completely drunk. A brawl had erupted in the tavern, and everyone had gotten involved.

In the middle of Yuuri crawling under a table to hide, a glint caught his eye. A burly man had pinned a man with a shock silver hair to the ground, and kept trying to fruitlessly punch him. Though the man with the silver hair and wow, a pretty face, seemed to be laughing, Yuuri had determined that this was a person that needed to be saved.

Bumping his head against the table, Yuuri jumped out and pounced on the man's attacker. For his effort, he received a very sobering blow from the burly man, but that did not deter him from launching forward and headbutting the man, causing him to drop down to the ground.

He turned around to help the silver haired man up. It looked like someone had already managed to knock around the man a bit, but Yuuri swore that he looked like he _enjoyed_ it.

"Victor," The man offered, and Yuuri was about to reply with his own name when he saw two men advance behind Victor, livid that Yuuri had knocked out their friend. Yuuri shoved Victor out of the way, grabbing a plate off one of the tables to shield the first punch. The metal plate had dented with the force of the blow, but Yuuri manage to deck one of the men in the eyes with it hard enough to cause him to stagger back. For good measure, he ducked down and kicked out the man's knees, leaping out of the way as he fell forward.

The second man, who was red with rage, reached into his coat and drew out a dagger. Yuuri grasped for his sword but remembered with a drop of his stomach that it had been left upstairs. Before the second man could advance on him, there was a sharp _shk_ of a sword being unsheathed. The man found himself staring down a long metal blade, and the room had gone silent.

Along the purple hilt of the sword, Yuuri saw two golden lions curled around each other. The crest of the Nikiforov family. And if the man's name was Victor, then—

The man on the end of the blade had all the colour drained out of his face as Victor gave him an easy smile.

"Please don't bother my friend," He said sweetly, and the man slowly lowered himself down to his knees.

"Get your things and meet me outside," Victor turned to Yuuri. "Unless you are willing to stay here."

And somehow, Yuri had found himself standing outside the tavern with what remained of his meager possessions: a few coins, an extra shirt, and a dull sword.

"You look like you know what you're doing," Victor said, eyes alight with excitement. "So drunk but such excellent skill!"

"Thanks," Yuuri replied, tongue heavy. "I...I have some practice."

"You're a knight, are you not?" Victor had said, gesturing towards Yuuri's sword. "I recognize Chulanont work."

"I was," Yuuri corrected, still a little bit drunk. "Am not anymore."

"Do you want some work?" Victor said, and Yuuri squinted at him. "Come to my castle. I want you to train some squires. There's one in particular that's a little fiery but lacks technique."

That was the story of how Victor and Yuuri's relationship started, as Yuuri saddled up his old gelding and followed Victor back to the Nikiforov castle. Constantly, he was waiting for Victor to ditch him halfway through the five day journey, but Victor had taken every opportunity to get to know more about Yuuri. Yuuri somehow found himself telling everything to Victor, with the exception of why he no longer was a knight. Victor, in turn, explained how every now and then he liked to leave the city and see how life was outside of its walls.

It had not registered till later that Victor was a powerful faerie and a _king_ of all things, and sometimes Yuuri still had troubles believing the same man who regularly forgot where he kept his favourite rings and what he had eaten for breakfast, also ruled over a considerable amount of land. Those troubles had enabled Yuuri to not completely scare off getting to know Victor, but he sometimes wish they had.

"I've been missing your presence," Christophe said, breaking Yuuri out of his reverie. "Are you truly leaving?"

"Yes," Yuuri confirmed, and Christophe let out a small _tsk_.

"Victor's convinced you're staying," he said.

"Victor knows I'm leaving," Yuuri said, and Christophe shook his head.

Around the same time Victor had brought Yuuri back to the Nikiforov castle, Christophe Giacometti had permanently moved into the fortified city with his husband to continue his practice. He claimed to like the energy of the people better, but Yuuri had a small feeling it was something to do with being closer to Victor.

According to Yuri, Christophe and Victor grew up together, but Christophe had set out to travel and learn his craft while they were in their teens. They occasionally met up every few months, and were guaranteed to raise hell. Now that Christophe had moved to the city permanently, mischief was constantly brewing. Yuri said this was because Victor was an old man that needed to feel young again, a concept that he felt Yuuri could relate to.

"Victor thinks you'll come back to the castle," He said. After a pause, he added, "I think that you should prove him right."

Yuuri said nothing to this, hoping his silence would squash the matter. Unfortunately, it never worked that way for him.

"It's easy for him to let go of people, Yuuri," Christophe said gently. "But he's never going to let go of you."

Yuuri turned his head away, willing away the traces of Christophe's voice.

Christophe was to take the first watch, followed by Yuri. Yuuri was to sleep the entire time, because out of all of them, he was the most skilled fighter. There was a real possibility that Christophe and Yuri could lose their magical abilities, and it would be left up to Yuuri to be the primary defender. 

Surprisingly, despite his emotional turmoil, sleep came quickly to Yuuri.

 

* * *

 

Yuuri's nose twitched, and then he sneezed loudly, causing him to wake up. Through sleepy eyes, he saw a white butterfly fluttering directly above him. He reached out towards it, frowning slightly and then—

A loud roar and a _KRRRAAACKKKKK_ echoed through the forest, and Yuuri heard Yuri shouting angrily in the distance. He shot up, realizing that he was alone in their campsite. The horses were missing, and their belongings were scattered across the forest floor. He saw the red glint of Christophe' cloak and grabbed his sword and his shield, rushing towards him.

In a small clearing, there was a giant beast holding Christophe up by the throat. It stood ten feet tall on two legs, slimy and lizard like with long claws, large feet, and two massive horns. It had Yuri pinned under its feet, and Yuri was struggling hard. He was not able to conjure any fire, and white butterflies swarmed around Yuri, Christophe, and the beast.

Yuuri had never seen _anything_ like this before.

Its back faced Yuuri, and he approached it as slowly and lightly as possible. Fear pulsed through his veins but he kept his hand steady and—

A twig snapped under his foot and Yuuri cursed up unto the heavens as the beast swung around, Christophe squirming in its grasp.

"The butterflies!" Christophe choked out. "They're suppressing our powers!"

It sounded so ludicrous that Yuuri let out a short bark of laughter. The beast dropped Christophe and leapt towards Yuuri. Yuuri was unable to move away in time, catching the brunt of an extremely vicious backhand that had him hitting the soft dirt hard. He blacked out for a second, but regained clarity quickly and tried to prop himself up with his sword. He watched the beast grab Christophe and Yuri by their collars. Yuri screamed, but he was unable to produce fire. There were bruises across Christophe's face that were not going away and in that moment, Yuuri understood. The beast had made his friends _mortal._

Once again, Yuuri charged towards the beast, and the beast started running towards him. He drew his sword up and—

The beast whipped by him, charging full speed behind him. Yuuri spun on his heel and ran after the beast.

His shield was heavy and his body was tired, but he was determined to not lose sight of his friends. It proved to be an almost insurmountable task, because the beast was fast. Yuuri's lungs screamed, his legs burned and his arms ached. He could hear yelps and thuds as Yuri and Chris were dragged across the forest floor at rapid speed. He kept running.

He followed the beast to the base of a tall, ancient tree. At the foot of the tree's thick, sprawling roots, there was a large hollow. By the time Yuuri approached the tree, he had already seen the beast slither into the darkness with Yuri and Chris, both of whom had stopped making any noise. Unease clawed at Yuuri's stomach, and he did a running slide into the hollow.

He landed in a murky puddle, wincing as the dirty water splashed up. Butterflies fluttered around him, but he swatted them away. In front of him, there was a grotto curving to his left. A soft glow of light emanated against the walls, showing off multiple scratch marks and blood stains.

Yuuri held up his shield in front of him, sword drawn as he stepped forward into the water. Torches were hung through the stretch of the cave and Yuuri treaded through the water, on high alert, trying his best to temper his breathing through the fetid air. He came across a skeleton with the lower half of the skull missing, propped up against a fresher, decaying body. Yuuri winced, recognizing the fading colours of the cloth around it before he moved forward.

A few feet ahead, the grotto split in two different ways. Yuuri approached the fork and heard faint screaming to his right.

" _Let go of him you slimy bastard!_ " He heard Yuri's voice, faint, angry, and terrified. " _I swear upon my father's grave, if you kill either of them I am going to burn out your soul_!"

Yuuri rushed towards the sound, water and muck splashing everywhere. As he grew closer, he saw that the ground rose up to a dry floor, scattered with bones and broken armour. A door stood looming, dark rotting wood framed by a strange arch.

A scream echoed from behind the door, and Yuuri wasted no time darting towards it. The screaming suddenly stopped, causing Yuuri to suddenly halt right before the door. Up close, he saw the strange arch was constructed out of skulls, animal and human. Some were picked clean, and Yuuri's stomach lurched as he realized that some were not. He tentatively stepped forward, before he heard a loud, slow creak.

The door was ripped away and thrown towards Yuuri. He managed to dart out of the way last minute, spinning a full circle on his heel and coming face to face with the beast.

Up close, it was even more horrifying. It's black eyes were sunken deep into its sockets, and the horns curled around its head, sharp and glinting. It breathed with a rattle, filling the air with a sour smell. Blood dripped from its long claws, and the scaly skin around its chest had been cracked wide open, probably from whatever struggle it had faced with Yuri and Christophe.

One more thing Yuuri noticed was that the beast was incredibly, incredible tall. The space was somewhat large, the beast had to hunch to put a decent distance in between itself and the ceiling. Before Yuuri could capitalize on this weakness, the beast pounced on him.

Yuuri threw up his shield to catch the blow, and heard a loud crack as the wood split in two. The beast yanked his shield away with such force that Yuuri yelled as his shoulder swung his sword wildly, catching the beast in the face, causing it to take two steps back in pain before it roared at Yuuri in anger.

Yuuri had no time to acknowledge the fear that bubbled in his belly. He danced around the creature, swinging at it when he could. His blade was sharp and his blade was true, and he managed to split skin on the beast's legs. However, none of these injuries seemed to deter it. In fact, it caused the beast to grow more and more livid, attacking Yuuri with more force.

He did not have the shield anymore, and the what the beast lacked in agility it made up for in sheer size. He feinted against a wall and the beast threw a punch. He moved out in time, causing it to drive its fist into rock, cracking the wall and causing dust to fall. He drove a sword into its side, causing it to howl before it tried to slash his face, a claw catching across his forehead. Yuuri ignored the burn and yanked out his sword, stepping back.

He attempted to think tactically, but then he heard a single moan of pain devolving into a sob from the chamber. His brain immediately sunk into something more primal. It struck him that not only were his friends in the chamber, but there was a strong possibility that they weren't alive.

Yuuri yelled, charging forward, ducking to avoid the beast's swinging arms. He drove his sword through its stomach, turning the blade as it hunched forward. It went limp, and Yuuri pulled back, grimacing at the suction as he yanked out his sword. He stepped out of the way as it stumbled forward and fell to the ground.

Chest heaving, Yuuri stared at the body for a moment before turning around and slamming his shoulder against the wall. He choked back a scream as his shoulder popped back into place and started heading towards the chamber. He felt a small burst of relief, giving him energy to limp forward, wiping blood off his face and feeling new bruises bloom.

He made it ten steps forward, before he heard charging footsteps. He spun around, sword up, but it was too late.

The beast leapt forward gave one hefty swing of its arm, sending Yuuri flying to the side. His head cracked against the dirt floor, and Yuuri gasped in pain. Before he could even move, a giant clawed foot planted itself on his chest.

He writhed, trying to move out but the weight was too much. He still had a grasp on his sword and blindly swung it forward. The beast grabbed the blade, squeezing hard and yanking it out of Yuuri's hands. For a brief moment, Yuuri saw thick black blood trickle down the metal, before the beast threw it away.

He was pinned.

The beast growled, low and deep. The sound rattled through Yuuri's bones, and fear permeated through him down to his core. He tried to think of something happy, something to ease his final moments, but he had a realization instead.

Despite all the talk of disgrace and dishonour, despite the fact that sometimes he wished the ground would swallow him whole, despite his deep seated anxiety about how far he fell as a person, Yuuri knew one thing. He did not want to die. Oh _god_ he did not want to die.

The beast roared and Yuuri's heart was beating out of his chest, the terror he was emanating seemed to please the beast. It pressed it's foot down harder on Yuuri, causing him to yelp. It unhinged it's jaw, revealing rows of sharp canines, and leaned down towards Yuuri. Yuuri scrunched his eyes shut, turning his head to the side as the rotting smell overwhelmed him.

Suddenly, there was the sharp sound of a blade slicing through air. Then, silence, the beast cutting off mid roar. Yuuri heard a heavy thud right next to him, and his eyes cracked open slightly. He let out a yell as he saw the decapitated head of the beast, caught mid roar, lying beside him. It's eyes had rolled back in it's head, and it's tongue was lolling out. He could hear a sword clattering to his other side.

Yuuri's breathing grew quicker and more panicked, when two large hands grasped his shoulders and heaved him up. He was brought face to face with blue eyes, a bruised face, and a shock of silver hair.

"So are you joining my guard after all?" Victor smiled, small but genuine. Yuuri stared, before letting out a surprised laugh. He lurched forward and enveloped Victor, who happily wrapped his arms around him and squeezed.

"You're alive!" Yuuri exclaimed happily, cupping Victor's face, his smile bloody and wide.

"So it seems," Victor chuckled, leaning in to Yuuri's hands first, before fully folding into him. He burrowed his face in the crook of Yuuri's shoulder, one hand snaking up and grasping Yuuri's neck. "I'm so glad to see you here. It's better than a dream."

Yuuri felt his face heat up, but the feeling of having Victor alive and in his arms overwhelmed any sense of embarrassment or reticence that was stirring within him.

"I was worried that you were gone," Yuuri spoke into Victor's hair, and Victor drew back.

"I was merely incapacitated. It had me tied down for quite a while in it's chamber, until it brought Yuri and Christophe in. They managed to overpower it for a moment, which allowed me to break free before it attacked again. Before I could do anything, you came charging in and it got distracted."

Victor squeezed Yuri's waist again, his smile falling a little. "I had to help Yuri with Christophe, but then you lost control and I couldn't think straight. Chulanont makes an absolutely _wicked_ sword."

"Altin's son sharpened it for me," Yuuri pressed his forehead against Victor's closing his eyes. "How are they?"

Victor tilted his head back towards the broken wooden doors. From the darkness, Yuri limped out, an unconscious Christophe slung over his shoulder. Yuri had a large gash across his face, and one side of Christophe's cloak had been torn to shreds. Yuuri could see claw marks up and down Christophe's limbs, and rushed with Victor to help Yuri.

With nothing but a hard glare, Yuri silently brushed them off. As he passed them, Christophe came to for a few moments and tilted his head upwards, looking back at Victor and Yuuri.

"He's embarrassed that I shielded him," He said, and Yuri scoffed.

"Shut up," he said with no real heat, and Christophe gave a weak grin before going cross eyed and passing out again.

When the group made it to the base of the tree, Yuri passed off Christophe to Victor and Yuuri, telling them to take a few steps back. Christophe had come to by then, and stood propped between the two other men. Victor brushed his fingers over Yuuri's as he looped his arm around Christophe's back, and Yuri narrowed his eyes at them before turning back to the burrow under the tree.

The air crackled, and by the way Victor and Chris straightened up, Yuuri could see their power slowly returning to them. Nothing compared to Yuri, whose wounds were healing at an alarmingly fast rate. There had been an open red slash in his back, but Yuri's skin quickly knitted itself back together.

Yuri stood silently, hands folded in front of him and eyes closed as if in prayer. He took steady deep breaths in, and took one step back. The anger coursing through Yuri was palpable, tinging the air around him. He widened his stance and leaned back, chest he roared.

Fire erupted from his throat like a dragon, shooting down the burrow and lighting up the large tree it resided under. The sound was deafening, and Victor turned to shield Yuuri and Christophe from the heat and the noise. Yuri screamed again, and Yuuri felt like someone had leaned him right into a fire.

Suddenly, the scream stopped and the fire swallowed itself up. Yuri stumbled backwards, taking in large breaks and looking positively vibrant with power.

The cool night air rushed in, swirling around them as Yuuri, Victor, and Christophe gasped in relief. Victor was sweating a little from where he took the brunt of the heat, and the back of his shirt was slightly singed. The bruises from his face were slowly vanishing, while Christophe let go of Yuuri and Victor, regaining his strength and ability to stand on his own.

Yuuri envied them slightly, because if he were in any of their places, he would most likely still be unconscious, or worse off. In fact, he wasn't feeling too well himself, and the sudden realization of his mortality caused all the pain to rush in at once. He felt a sharp sharp ache in his sternum from where the beast had stepped on him. Pins and needles shot through his left arm, and his brain throbbed against his skull. It was quickly getting harder and harder for him to breathe, his face scrunched up, and he spat out a considerable amount of blood.

Suddenly Victor and Christophe's hands were all on him, running up and down. They murmured softly, and Yuuri could feel relief washing over his body right before he passed out.

 

* * *

 

Yuuri came to intermittently, pressed against a solid form with the ground moving beneath him. He regained full consciousness leaning against a rock, under a rough blanket and propped up against a warm body.

Through fuzzy vision, he could make out two sleeping figures under the moonlight in front of him. He blinked once, then twice, his eyes gaining enough clarity to see Christophe and Yuri sound asleep in front of him. They looked tense and worn out, but much better than they had when he had last seen them.

To his surprise, both Victor and Yuri's horses were standing, tied to a tree near the clearing. They looked a little worn out, but no worse for the wear, and Yuuri felt relief. He really did like Victor's mare.

Yuuri was _incredibly_ sore, but none of the overwhelming pain from before remained. He wriggled, and there was no pain in his chest. His arms felt functional, and his head felt like it had been screwed on straight. The body beside him shifted, and he turned his head, wincing slightly.

He looked up at Victor, who had a soft smile on his face.

"I hope you don't plan on leaving me again," Victor said, and Yuuri flushed.

"I can't, Victor," Yuuri said softly. "It won't look good for you, having a knight that gave up his shield join your court."

"Your past does not have as strong a grip on your future as you believe, Yuuri," Victor sighed. "And you did not give up your last shield. You broke it, in that cave, fighting the beast. I'll get Altin to make you another."

"Victor, I..." He began, but Victor cut him off gently, moving a hand to cup his face.

"I don't see a disgraced man when I look at you, Yuuri." He said, brushing a thumb across his lips. "I see a powerful knight filled with courage and love. That, despite knowing better and despite being human, charged a gigantic beast and saved his friends. Saved _me._ "

Yuuri stared at Victor. The moonlight illuminated his silver hair, causing a soft halo. Behind him, the stars stretched over the sky, sparkling like small diamonds.

"What will happen in the future will happen," Victor pressed on. "But there is nothing you have done and nothing you can do that will stop me from wanting you to be by my side."

He had a hundred arguments against going back with Victor to the Nikiforov castle. A hundred reasons why he should go home, a hundred reasons that had been swirling around in his chest, threatening to suffocate him from the moment Victor had looked at him outside the tavern with earnest eyes and a split lip forming a wide grin.

But there was a small fire enveloping Yuuri's heart, warmer than anything Yuri had ever lit. The source of it was Victor's kindness, Victor's steady hand, Victor's strength, Victor's love, Victor, Victor, _Victor_. The man above him, framed by celestial bodies, had a hold on him that he was not willing to relinquish.

Yuuri closed his eyes, burying himself against Victor. He felt vulnerable again, but it didn't come with the feeling of weakness that enveloped him when he had lain on the straw mattress in the hut he lived in. It didn't come with the sense of isolation and panic about a wasted life that he normally associated with the vulnerability.

It came with something quiet and sweet, something sturdy and true.

"My loyalty is sworn to you," He murmured quietly.

Still indescribably tired, Yuuri started dozing off again. He felt a soft press of dry lips against his, and smiled before he fully slipped into sleep again.

**Author's Note:**

> The monster is modelled after death claws from fallout, and the city is modelled after Camelot form BBC Merlin.
> 
> I was deciding what kind of balance to strike with this AU. I decided to keep it on the lighter side, with the village surviving and no mention of how beyond the shenanigans, Chris and Victor's ventures have been key in protecting and expanding Victor's kingdom.
> 
> Christophe isn't the most useful person but please don't take it as a slight against his character. Sometimes you and your friends get in it but you end up organically being the one that does the least. It happens, yenno, and I'm sure Chris could still turn someone inside out with a snap of his fingers.
> 
> @giftee I hope you enjoyed this reading this!! As soon as I saw your prompt, I knew I had to pick it up and write something for it. I tried my best to fit in as much world/relationship building as possible. I wish I had more time to write even more, but life had jumped on the ropes before proceeding to completely body slam me. It was a great premise though, and I kind of want to expand on it? I tried to hit as many parts as I could but sorry about the lack of Otabek :<


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